


Rewiring

by toxic_corn



Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005)
Genre: F/M, Hand Jobs, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-23 03:14:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6102997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toxic_corn/pseuds/toxic_corn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A medical study gives River an idea...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She had never been much of a sleeper. Even before the Academy got hold of her and cut away bits of her brain, replacing them with memories of Miranda, it would take her several hours after laying down to finally fall asleep. Simon always said her restlessness was due to her brain’s high functionality; something so big and powerful would take time to shut down.

 

River sat in the cockpit for the third time that week, surfing the Cortex while everyone else was fast asleep and dreaming. She could sense one mind still awake but she had learned how to stay out of other people’s heads so she wasn’t entirely sure who it was. She continued to read medical studies, hoping it would be so pedestrian that she’d be bored into slumber but one of the subjects grabbed her attention and made her sit up straight.

 

The emotion centers in women’s brains show no activity during an orgasm. River felt entirely too much. Lately she would lay down to sleep and be washed in so much despair she wanted to weep. A moment without emotion would be a welcome respite after all this time.

 

Closing the page, River got up and hurried to her room.

 

~*~

 

Sighing in frustration, River slapped the wall hard. It wasn’t _working_. She knew where the clitoris was, had manipulated it, and it just felt like… nothing. Like she was rubbing between her legs and if Simon were to walk in unexpectedly, she’d expire on the spot from the embarrassment.

 

She couldn’t imagine what she was doing wrong. She’d experimented with pressure and speed, going up and down and in circles, and she had enough lubrication. Her stomach clenched tightly, her body demanding a way to find release now that she had worked herself up to this state. It wasn’t fair!

 

River wiped at the hot tears that trickled down her cheeks and took a shaky breath. There must be something else wrong. She thought back to the article, going over it in her mind and slapped her forehead. Of _course_. While the women in the study had their brains monitored, their partners had pleasured them.

 

Well, it was settled then. River would just have to find a partner.

 

~*~

 

Simon was completely out of the question. River marked him off of her mental check list and moved on. Not Kaylee, either. Simon consumed her thoughts and desires, leaving no room for River. Zoe still shrouded herself in Wash’s memory and she would still consider any other dalliance a betrayal to her husband. Inara was too much of a mother figure. The captain… River considered him a moment. He would take too much convincing. It would take ten minutes alone to express to him what she needed.

 

That only left Jayne.

 

… Ew.

 

River watched him shovel protein into his mouth, hunched over his plate like someone was going to steal something off of it. To be fair, he hadn’t always eaten that way. She _had_ taken food from him before. That was smart in a way. He had adapted to find a solution to his problem. So he wasn’t as stupid as he sometimes acted. And he was kind of handsome when he didn’t have food caught in his mustache. His eyes were a lovely shade of blue that she envied a little and his body was well formed under the ripped t-shirts he seemed so fond of wearing.

 

“The hell you starin’ at?” Jayne growled, catching her off guard.

 

“You have something here,” she said, thinking fast and pointing to her upper lip.

 

He grunted and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and went back to eating.

 

“Jay-aaaayne,” Kaylee said, “We got napkins for that.”

 

“Hand works just as well,” he said disinterestedly, used to the complaints by now.

 

Yes, he showed remarkable adaptability. He could help her.

 

~*~

 

River stood outside his bunk and clenched her fists. She could sense he was still awake. He was sleepy but in a rather pleasant mood. Her presence would disturb him but he would recover. Maybe he would accept her proposition; the worst he could do was say no.

 

Or laugh.

 

Before she could over think this anymore, she quickly opened the door and hurried down the ladder. She found Jayne on his bed, reading a magazine while he ran a hand up and down his belly absently. His eyes narrowed when he saw her.

 

“What?”

 

She said the first thing that came to mind. “I’m surprised you didn’t pull out one of your guns.”

 

He snorted. “I knew you wasn’t armed.”

 

“Oh. Well. You’re correct. I’m not.” She bit her lip and felt ridiculous. “How did you know--”

 

“Anyone else would’ve waited ‘til morning instead of bargin’ in here.” He tossed his magazine on the floor and sat up, resting on an elbow. “Whaddya need?”

 

“I have a request.” She paused and when all he did was snort, she continued. “I want my emotions to go away. So if you could please stimulate my clitoris until I climax, I would appreciate it.”

 

Jayne’s jaw dropped. “Do _what_ now?”

 

“Stimulate my clitoris until I cli-”

 

“This some kinda joke? Is it April Fool’s?” He frowned. “Hell, what month is it..?”

 

River shook her head. “No joke, no fools. And it’s July, by the way. So will you help me?”

 

“How do I know you ain’t gonna run off and tell Kaylee all about it if I do?”

 

“So you’re considering it?”

 

“No!”

 

Desperate, River decided to speak the language he was fluent in. “I can pay you.”

 

“How much?” he asked, looking suspicious.

 

“A bar of chocolate.”

 

“C’mere then.”

 

Breathing out a sigh of relief, River crossed the small room to stand in front of him, awaiting further instruction.

 

~*~

 

Despite himself, Jayne was intrigued by this turn of events. The little weird girl wanted him to finger her? For chocolate, he’d do just about anything. Plus she was kinda cute in her own way. Especially now looking all nervous and blushing.

 

“Lay down,” he instructed her. She did so, getting onto the bed gingerly and he helped her get into position, resting her legs across his lap. “You got any panties on?”

 

She shook her head, body stiff.

 

“How much ya want me to see? Should I just stick my hand under or what?”

 

“Just your hand, please,” she said in a tight little voice.

 

“Okay.” He moved his hand low and then suddenly attacked her tummy with his fingers, digging in mercilessly.

 

“Eeeee!” She jackknifed up, giggling uncontrollably and Jayne had to laugh along with her. “Whyyyy?”

 

“Cuz you need to loosen up, girl!” He moved from her tummy to her knee, resting his hand there comfortably. “How ya feelin’ now?”

 

“Better,” she admitted.

 

He nodded. “Right. Let’s get on with this, then.” He ran his hand from her knee, up her thigh, and under her skirt, going slow in case she changed her mind. Her skin felt smooth under his rough calluses, and he stopped when his fingers touched her wiry curls. “Still with me?”

 

“Yes,” she whispered.

 

Jayne lightly stroked the soft hair between her legs, watching her face. She seemed puzzled and he said quietly, “Gotta get yourself in the mood first. You can’t just go straight for the hot button first. Gotta get all the gears turnin’ and your motor revvin’.”

 

River looked at him incredulously and burst out laughing.

 

“What?” He scowled and his hand stilled. “What’s so gorram funny?”

 

“I’m sorry,” she gasped. “That just struck me as funny.” When he continued to glare at her she said, “I’m nervous.”

 

“Well, don’t be,” he said gruffly. He waited until the giggles subsided and then went back to petting her.

 

She let out a choked sound. “ _Hot button_ …”

 

Sighing in disgust, Jayne waited until her second bout of laughter wrapped up. He’d rather be feeling a porcupine up than this girl. “You know, I’m doin’ you a favor.”

 

“No!” She pointed at him, eyes wide. “I’m paying you!”

 

“Right! So how’s about we get going with this so’s I can get paid? And if you don’t come, I’m gettin’ my chocolate anyway.”

 

“Who says?” she challenged him.

 

“I do. Now shut the hell up so I can work my magic.” When the corners of her mouth twitched, he gave her a warning look and she covered her mouth looking apologetic.

 

Jayne resumed stroking her hair for a few moments before dipping his thumb lower to assess how ready she was. All girls her age were wet and he wasn’t surprised to find a bit of moisture. Slowly, he started to lightly run his finger up and down her slit.

 

“Mmm,” she murmured, shifting her hips. He glanced up at her and saw she had closed her eyes, head cocked to the side. The look on her face bumped her up from kinda cute to kinda pretty.

 

“I think you’re likin’ this,” he rumbled. She only whimpered in response and he swallowed. Dipping the tip of his finger inside her, he found her much more wet and coated his finger before moving up to her clitoris. He gave it a little tap and she gasped, hips bucking. “You okay?” he asked, just to make sure.

 

“Ye-eeeesss.” She lifted her hips to urge him on. “Hate this part. Aches.”

 

“I know. But I’ll take care of that, okay?” He started to rub her clit carefully, up and down, and her breathing picked up. Watching her, he felt himself starting to get excited but tried to push that away. This was all about her. She’d asked him for it since she needed it so bad.

 

Oh, and she was paying him in chocolate. Right. Nowhere in the deal did it say he was gonna get anything other than that.

 

River moaned suddenly and Jayne sat up straighter, speeding his up and down motions. “Noooo,” she protested. “Same as before.”

 

“Like this?” _Uuuuup doooown uuuuup doooown_

 

“Yes,” she mewled.

 

He kept that pace up until she started panting harshly, face turning dark pink as her thighs trembled and he knew she was close. He pressed a little harder and watched River Tam fly apart, making him groan, almost feeling her pleasure himself.

 

~*~

 

 _Hot_. Oh so hot, hotter than she’d ever felt before. It spread through her tummy, her thighs, the soles of her feet, her breasts, oh everywhere. It was glorious. And she felt it when her emotions went away, switched off like a light. All that could exist in that moment was blessed physical sensation, sobbing as Jayne gave her peace.

 

He was still rubbing but it was starting to hurt so she reached under her skirt and pulled his hand away. “Thank you,” she breathed, feeling herself still pulsing between her legs. What a fascinating feeling.

 

“Yeah,” he said, and then cleared his throat.

 

Shakily, River sat up. “That was perfect.”

 

“I know,” he said and River smiled tiredly. She had always thought his bragging about his success with women was exaggeration but she knew now she had been clearly in the wrong.

 

“I’ll go and get you your chocolate,” she said and stood up on wobbly legs.

 

He didn’t look at her. “Nah, you keep it.”

 

“What?” She didn’t think she heard that correctly. “But you’ve earned it.”

 

“Well, I don’t want it now,” he snapped. “All I want’s some gorram quiet so I can get some sleep.”

 

River blinked, feeling a little hurt even though she probably should’ve expected this from Jayne. “I’m sorry. I’ll go.” She headed for the ladder.

 

“Did it work?” She gave him a little frown and he clarified, “The emotions or whatever. Did they go away?”

 

A big smile spread across her face. “Oh, yes. Thank you so much, Jayne.”

 

He looked off to the side and shrugged uncomfortably. “Sure. And… you ever want ‘em to go away again, you can stop by. If you want.”

 

Her heart skipped a beat. “Really?”

 

“That’s what I just said, wasn’t it?” he snapped.

 

Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth and make him even grouchier than he already was, River nodded. “All right. Thank you for the offer, Jayne. Good night.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

She hurried up the ladder before he could change his mind and dashed back to her room, eager to clean up.

 

~*~

 

Jayne waited until she was gone then pulled his erection free from his sweat pants. Maybe his Ma was right; this thing _was_ gonna be the death of him.


	2. Chapter 2

You wouldn’t know it by looking at her that River had had her first orgasm last night and Jayne had been the one to give it to her. She didn’t give him too much attention like a lovesick puppy or too little so’s to tip anyone off to what had happened. Instead, she did an excellent job of acting like everything was normal. Maybe everything was. When he’d sat down at his place that morning, he found a bar of chocolate under his plate. Maybe this was her little way of saying she wasn’t going to take him up on her offer and giving him the chocolate was supposed to make everything square.

 

Scowling, Jayne set to eating and answered Kaylee’s polite questioning with his usual noncommittal grunts. Fine. If nothing happened then nothing happened.

~*~

River waited until everyone was asleep and then crept down to Jayne’s bunk. He was still awake and scribbling on a piece of paper, a letter home to his mother. When he heard her, he stuffed it under his pillow and glared at her.

 

“You lost?”

 

“No. But my insomnia was last night. Could you help me again tonight?” 

 

Jayne sniffed, settling back on the bed with his arms crossed. “What’ll ya pay me this time?”

 

River frowned. “You said I could come to you anytime!”

 

“Didn’t say it was for free.”

 

“But--! You said I didn’t have to pay you.” River was disappointed with how surprised she felt. She should have known Jayne would do something like this.

 

“I got paid though,” he said, giving her a significant look. “Tasted good, too. Almonds make chocolate even better, don’t they?”

 

“That was a gift, Jayne. To thank you.” She crossed her arms and sighed. “Knew I should have left a note.”

 

“Oh.” He looked troubled for a moment and then his expression smoothed over. “Well, I still gotta get paid. I ain’t in the habit of doin’ favors.”

 

“I don’t have any money,” River said warily. That was a lie, she had some. But that was going toward Simon’s birthday gift and she wasn’t willing to part with it.

 

“I think we could work somethin’ out,” Jayne said in a casual tone that set off alarm bells in River’s mind.

 

“Such as?” 

 

He grinned, slow and lazy. “I do you and you do me.”

 

She felt herself start to blush and took a step back. “I don’t…”

 

Jayne shrugged. “Fine. You have fun with all them emotions then, girl.” He started to pull the paper out from under his pillow, wordlessly dismissing her. The thought of going back to bed and feeling the horror and misery overwhelm her was too much.

 

“All right!” she agreed and held her hands up. “But I have to warn you that I lack experience. I won’t know what to do.”

 

“Guess I’ll hafta be your mentor then,” he said with a grin.

~*~

Jayne had two fingers inside her, curved so he could tap at her spongy g-spot. Like last night, her hips were bucking and she was shaking all over, moaning his name. “Oh, Jayne, it’s so… oh I feel so _full_!”

 

“Yeah? You gettin’ there?” He curved his fingers and made a beckoning gesture like he was coaxing her orgasm from her.

 

“Yes. Yes, I’m so close, Jayne.”

 

“Well, I’ll help ya get there, pretty girl,” he growled.

 

Like flipping a switch, she went stiff, thighs trembling and her mouth fell open in a soundless scream, eyes shutting tight. She clenched around his fingers and he felt a gush of fluid coat them, to his satisfaction.

 

“Well now,” he murmured, withdrawing his hand and staring at his fingers. “How do ya like that? Look at the mess you made.” He made sure she was watching as he licked his fingers, never taking his eyes from hers.

 

She stared at him in disbelief. “You just ate my secretions.”

 

He made a face. “You make it sound gross. ‘sides, it tastes good.”

 

“Let me try.” She grabbed his hand and sucked his fingers into her mouth, her expression sweetly curious. Jayne felt his gut clench. Oh, _ta ma de_ the sooner he got out of his gorram pants the better.

 

“Hmmm. I wouldn’t market it as a new flavor of cola but you're right, the taste isn’t displeasing.”

 

Jayne laughed. “Nope. Ready to hold up your end of the bargain, girl?”

 

“River.” She sat up, eyes flashing with daring and cupped his bulge. “My name’s River.” He swallowed and her grip tightened. “Say it.”

 

Before he could stop himself he gasped, “River.”

 

She smiled and pulled back his sweatpants’ waistband, allowing his erection to bob free. She stared at it for a long moment and he gritted his teeth, waiting for her to do something. Finally, just when he was about to snap, she reached out and grasped him, sliding her hand up and down experimentally. Her fingers were still slick from having them in her mouth and she managed to grip him just tight enough but not _too_ tight and Jayne had to grit his teeth to keep from coming on the spot. He wanted to enjoy this for a bit.

 

As if she sensed this, she slowly stroked him up and down. His hands opened and closed a few times before gripping the sheets as she continued to jack him off, torturously slow. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears and was surprised he had any left up in his head; he was so hard he figured everything had rushed to the smaller head.

 

“Faster,” he snarled and the girl obliged him. The sensation was mind-numbingly good but he still needed something to push him over the edge. He looked down at her little hand working him and that was all it took. With a groan, he came and River gasped, jerking her hand away from the semen.

 

Catching his breath, he saw her face and had to smile. “It ain’t poisonous.”

 

“I know. It just surprised me.” She shook her hand a little, like it had cramped up on her. “Was that adequate?”

 

“Yeah, it did the job,” he said and grabbed a tissue box from under the bed, mopping up his mess. “How ‘bout you? Feelin’ okay?”

 

“It did the job,” she said cheekily and he chuckled. “Well, good night Jayne. I’m sure to sleep well because of you.” She stood up and headed to the ladder. Watching her, he felt disappointed but he couldn’t say why. 

 

“Yeah, night.” Once she’d gone and the door had shut, he lay back on his bed and smiled.

~*~

They had been doing this every night for a week now. River would wait until the whole ship was asleep and then sneak into his bunk for their time together. She still wouldn’t let him see up her skirt and he’d once succeeded in getting it most of the way up her thighs before she’d pushed his hand away and called him a bad boy. That’d been all kinds of hot.

 

Panting, Jayne sank back as River cleaned him up herself and tried to focus on uncrossing his eyes. 

 

“What did you want to be when you grew up?” River asked.

 

He blinked. Everything was unexpected with this girl. “Where’d that come from?”

 

“A series of firing synapses in my brain. Answer required.”

 

Jayne rolled his eyes. “ _Jesu._ I wanted to be a space man.” She stared at him expectantly and he gave her a puzzled look back. “That’s it. A space man.”

 

“Oh. That’s very vague.”

 

“Yeah, well, shut it. What did _you_ wanna be?”

 

Her eyes glittered. “Everything.”

 

He thought that over for a moment. “Yeah. That sounds about right.”

~*~

“So I ended up growing five inches during the summer and Ma couldn’t afford new clothes so I had to go to school in flood pants.”

 

River pressed a hand to her face. “Oh, that’s awful! Were the other children cruel to you?”

 

“’Course they were. They were kids. But I picked out the ringleader and knocked his block off during recess so that set ‘em all straight.”

 

“I was never much of a fighter,” River admitted and then looked down sadly. “Not until lately.”

 

Jayne reached out and gently tugged a lock of her hair.

~*~

“We never had cats; my mother’s allergic. I had a bird once, though. A talking grey parrot who could tell the time. But I let him free.” When Jayne didn’t look shocked, she added, “He was expensive.”

 

“Yeah,” Jayne shrugged, “but a caged life ain’t even worth livin’.”

 

Pleasantly surprised, she dropped her head onto her arm and smiled up at him.

~*~

“Everyone has a talent!” River protested.

 

“I told ya! I can shoot a man’s eye out from ten football fields away!”

 

River gave him a look. “Something _not_ destructive.”

 

Jayne snorted and then admitted gruffly, “I juggle.”

 

She gasped. “Show me?”

 

“No!”

 

“Please?”

 

“You got wax stuck in your ears girl? I told you no!”

 

“I’ll use my mouth this time.”

 

“Get me three pairs of socks from the drawer over there.”

~*~

One morning, Mal announced they had a job and during breakfast he started going over the details. “So after we land, it’ll still be a ways away. But these folks don’t care for out of towners so it’ll be about a day’s ride to get there. I got a fella who’ll let us use some horses. Then, Zoe, once we’re in town--”

 

“Wait, we gonna be there over-night?” Jayne interrupted.

 

“Yes, Jayne,” Mal said with exaggerated patience. “So be sure to pack your nightlight and fuzzy slippers.” As he continued on with his explaining, Jayne looked worriedly at River, who ate her breakfast with a carefree look on her face.

~*~

Jayne worried about River the whole time but he was a professional and he didn’t let it affect his work. He got the job done and Jayne, Zoe, and Mal returned to _Serenity_ with everything they’d set out for. It’d been an all-around success which was a small miracle since Mal had planned the majority of it.

 

Mal started making noise about having a celebration, but Jayne ducked off to River’s room to check in on her. She was on the floor, drawing and when she heard the door open, she looked up and gave him a smile.

 

“Hey,” Jayne said awkwardly. “You all right? I know I been gone for awhile so we haven’t been able to--”

 

Her smile brightened. “I’ve been wonderful. When the emotions became overwhelming, all I had to do was think about our activities and I was able to handle it. I think you’ve rewired something in my brain. I can’t even begin to thank you enough, Jayne.”

 

“Oh.” He took a step back. “So, we about done here?”

 

Her smile faded. “Yes, that would appear to be so.”

 

He nodded. “Right. Celebration’s in the mess if you’re interested.” He didn’t wait for a response and went off to his bunk, begging off the festivities because he was tired. He hadn’t been able to sleep a wink while they’d been gone.

~*~

River sat up on the catwalk, watching Jayne shift crates around to make room for their new cargo. She admired the play of his muscles as he worked, the sweat that glistened off his skin, and had to suppress a sigh. He was ignoring her, had been ever since she revealed to him that his services weren’t necessary anymore. And while she slept better, it was her waking hours that were unbearable now.

 

She’d hurt him. She didn’t even know he could be hurt, which made him even more fragile. Lightly, she caressed the rail and closed her eyes, feeling the tears gathering behind her lids.

 

Oh, she missed him so terribly.

~*~

It was a lazy day and River surfed the Cortex while the Captain steered the ship. Once in awhile one of them made an idle remark but it was mostly silent. While sorting through mindless entertainment news, a pop-up appeared on screen.

 

“ _Fruity oaty bars, make a man out of a mouse…_ ”

 

Mal snapped to attention sharply but before he could say anything, River leapt up and delivered a roundhouse kick to his head, knocking him unconscious. As he slumped to the floor, River dashed out the door, headed for the engine room where she could hear Kaylee singing and her tools clanking away.

 

“Girl! The hell!” Strong arms tightened around her waist and she was drawn to an abrupt halt. Unimpressed, she turned her hands into claws and made a grab but was rebuffed and instead someone grasped _her_ between her legs.

 

“River! Remember this! You have to remember this! Rewiring! River, I rewired your brain so this don’t happen anymore. You got control now! Remember!”

 

The foggy vague self destruct mission started to crumble. “Jayne?”

 

“Yeah, it’s me. Come on, River. You don’t wanna do this.”

 

His pleading tone made the rest of the mission fall apart and she was just River again, not a weapon, not a bomb of flurried fists and high kicks waiting to go off. Sobbing, she sagged in his arms.

 

“It’s okay,” he said awkwardly, turning her so he could look into her face. “Don’t cry.”

 

“I miss you,” she blurted out and pressed her face into his chest.

 

He smiled a little. “Yeah?”

 

“Yes. It hurts.”

 

Jayne dropped his chin to the top of her head and slid his arms around her waist. “Well, we can’t have you hurtin’ then, can we? Better fix ya all up. I think I got the bandages and iodine you need down in my bunk. Wanna go?”

 

She sniffled and looked up at him. “I think that’s the worst euphemism you’ve come up with, yet.”

 

“What’s goin’ on here?” Kaylee stood half in the hallway, half in the engine room, staring at them with wide eyes.

 

“Ah, nothing’. Just saved the day ‘n now me ‘n River are gonna be in my bunk.” He popped open the hatch and started to usher her down before remembering. “Oh yeah, you might wanna get the Doc. Mal got a li’l banged up.”

 

Kaylee stood there a moment then squealed. “Romance?!! Inara, guess what?!” She hurried off to the companion’s shuttle in her excitement.

 

When Mal woke up an hour later he wasn’t impressed with the news.

THE END


End file.
